This is a posture in which the body is completely inverted, and held upright supported by the forearms, while the crown of the head rests lightly on the floor. It is known as the king of yoga asanas. This asana has the highest difficulty level. Beginners must be under the guidance of a yoga-guru, even to begin this posture. Consult with a qualified yoga instructor before attempting Shirshasana. This is an advanced pose and should not be attempted until one has practiced a good deal of the less demanding asanas such as forward and backward bends, twists, etc. and developed a good deal of muscle strength in the neck, back, and shoulder regions. Breath control and balance are also essential.
Practitioners of yoga believe that, like most inverted positions, the practice of Shirshasana increases the flow of blood to the brain, improves memory and other intellect functions. It is believed to rejuvenate the body and mind and regulate the flow of energy (prana) in the body.
However, this posture is not recommended for persons suffering from high blood pressure, heart palpitations, glaucoma, detached retina, conjunctivitis, brain disease, brain injury, menstruation, obesity, neck injury, and back injury. Also if you are pregnant, consult with your physician or qualified yoga instructor before doing this pose. This pose must be exited immediately if one is about to cough, sneeze or yawn.
How to do Shirshasana?
1. Kneel down and grab your elbows with your hands.
2. Keep the elbows where they are and interlock the fingers in front of you.
3. Elbows and hands now form an equilateral triangle.
4. Place the very top of your head on the floor with the back of your head resting against the fingers.
5. Straighten the knees, raise your hips, your body now resembling an inverted V. The weight should be about equally distributed between your head/arms and the feet.
6. Keeping your knees straight as much as possible, walk with little steps, bringing your feet as close as possible to your head. This will shift the weight from the feet onto the head/arms.
7. Keep your back as straight as possible to prevent your neck from arching.
8. Bend the knees keeping them close to the chest and your feet close to your buttocks. Shift the hips to keep your balance.
9. Keep your knees bent and point them to sky.
10. Now and only now straighten your legs. Keep your feet relaxed. Make sure that the head is supporting no more than 10% of your body weight, the rest being applied on the elbows. At first hold it for 5 seconds. Increase gradually to 2-3 minutes.
Benefits of Shirshasana
1. Brings fresh blood supply to the brain.
2. Rests the heart by using gravity to stimulate veinous return
3. Relieves pressure from the veins in the lower body (varicose veins)
4. Encourages deeper breathing, therefore strengthens the lungs and increases one's vitality
5. Relieves pressure in the lower back
6. Improves physical balance
7. Helps overcome fear & improved concentration
8. Improves memory grasping power & sharpens sensory organs
9. Improves mental balance
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